JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 29, 2008) -The ETSU baseball team dropped both games of the doubleheader to North Florida as the Bucs lost the first game, 9-5, and then lost the rubber match, 8-2, Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Park.

ETSU (6-19, 6-9) was out hit by the Ospreys 15-11 in game one and 14-10 in game two. The Bucs hit into five double plays on the day.

North Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on RBI singles by T.J. Thompson and Chad Knight. The Bucs answered in the bottom of the fourth on an Anthony Russell (Waldorf, Md.) RBI single to right driving in Nick Belcher (Abingdon, Va.) to cut the North Florida lead to 2-1.

The Ospreys added to their lead in the top of the fifth on a RBI double to left center to Thompson to make the score 3-1. Later in the inning North Florida would score again on a three-run home run by Travis Martin to make the score 6-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bucs would cut into the North Florida on a solo home run by Russell and RBI doubles by Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Danny Petro (Atlanta, Ga.) to cut the lead to 6-4.

With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh the Ospreys scored two more runs on a Andrew Hannon two-run single up the middle to extend the North Florida lead to 8-4.

ETSU would make the score 8-5 in the bottom of the eighth on a Hoilman RBI double to left center driving in Russell, but North Florida scored again in ninth on an Andy Warren sacrifice fly to right to make the game one final 9-5.

In game two of the doubleheader, North Florida jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a Preston Hale RBI single, but the Bucs answered in the bottom of the first as Hoilman singled in Belcher to tie the game.

The Ospreys would jump out in front in the top of the second on a Robbie Collier RBI single to make the score 2-1. In the top of the fourth North Florida scored three more on a grounder to short by Michael Gropper, an RBI single by Thompson and Gropper came in and scored on a passed ball to take a 5-1 lead.

ETSU scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Jacob Fabry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) infield single driving in Bubba Herbold (Knoxville, Tenn.). North Florida extended its lead in the top of the seventh on a T. J. Gaudy RBI single to make the score 6-2.

In the top of the ninth, the Ospreys added two more runs on a Hannon sacrifice fly to center and a Gaudy RBI double to increase the North Florida lead to 8-2.

Hoilman and Russell had good days as Hoilman was 4-for-7 with two doubles, two walks and three RBI, while Russell was 3-for-8 and had a home run, double and drove in two runs.

The Bucs head to Atlanta, Ga. Tuesday to take on Georgia Tech in a two-game mid-week series before going to KennesawState next weekend.